Shadow of Beginning
by Fly Away 2003
Summary: His birth was a foreshadowing of evil to come. The black Companion and his white haired Chosen whose powers are beyond belief. Two young lives twisted by a cruel fate that threatens them and everyone they love.
1. Prologue

_**Ok! First fanfic for this series! Hope I'm doin ok! OOOHHH! Thanks to SasukeBlade for being my beta-reader! (cause i don't trust my own judgement when it comes to my stories) - Anyway! I'll let you get on with reading! **_

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Prologue 

Thunder crashed over the Companion's field as Herald Leah trotted through the blistering rain in search of the stables. Just moments ago she had received the news that many of the Heralds and Companions had been anticipating for days now: the Companion Serina had finally given birth to her first foal. 

Leah's own Companion, Morina, had alerted her to the incident. She had made haste to get here before too many curious eyes began to crowd the place. As she finally reached the warmth of the Companion stables, something seemed to be a bit off. There were several of the older Companions there, along with a fairly large number of heralds. Leah's power of empathy immediately warned her to expect the worst. 

She was flooded with the emotions of grief, anger, worry, speculation, wonder… fear. The fear was what caught her off guard. What could have happened in there? She stepped up her already brisk pace to finally reach the entrance into the dimly lit stall where Serina was supposed to be laying with her newborn foal.

What she saw though knocked the breath right from her chest. Serina, bless her soul, lay lifeless on the stall floor. Next to her was an equally still, but thankfully living, foal. It took a minute for the wrongness of the foal to actually hit home.

It was common knowledge. Companions were white. Born white. Grew up white. But this foal was as black as the stormy night that raged just outside the sheltering walls of the Companion stable. 

"The poor thing's very weak." Leah glanced over at the healer who had spoken, an elderly man that she recognized as someone who often helped with Companion health problems. Not that there were too many of those out there; but accidents happened. 

"What should we do with it?" Leah wasn't paying attention to who was talking anymore. She was staring intently at the foal, which was now making an effort to lift his head. A slight muffling of straw behind her alerted everyone to the approach of the elder Companions. Melodi, Serina's sister and a Companion that had yet to Choose, was the first to inch toward the helpless infant.

She gently nuzzled it, encouraging it to move. Some of the others seemed to absolutely balk at the idea of her actually encouraging it. Leah simply suspected that this was a reaction to the color maybe, or maybe the fact that Serina had died while giving life to him. 

_: He is very weak.:_

That was Melodi's voice. Her thoughts were laced with grief. She had just lost her sister, and she was inches away from losing her newborn nephew as well. 

_: There isn't anything we can do for him:_

_:No. He needs to work this out on his own.:_ Leah didn't understand the concept Melodi was trying to convey, but she silently agreed and stood back away from the foal as it finally managed to raise its head up off of the floor. 

Melodi stepped back as its sapphire eyes swept the room. It let out what almost sounded like a hoarse groan as it tried to get its feet up underneath itself. The Heralds and the Companions stood for what seemed like hours before finally the spindly legged thing was finally standing on all fours. 

Only then did Melodi approach him again and gently nuzzle him into taking a few steps. Leah could feel the other Heralds glancing at each other. Wondering what was going on, just like she was. The tight mood was not broken, even when the youngster gave a healthy sneeze due to the dust rising from the dry floor.

Suddenly, the room burst into a conversation via mind speech. Companions and Heralds alike were conversing about what to do with this little oddity. 

_:It does not bode well to allow this… _thing…_ to live. His destiny will lie only in darkness and evil.:_ That was the head stallion, Isamu.

_:That is ridiculous! Just because his coat is dark does not mean that that is also true for the color of his soul! I thought you were always the one preaching that old saying "Never judge a book by its cover."! What happened to that:_ Melodi was not happy. Any Heralds that had been speaking amongst themselves at the time fell deathly silent. It was rare for a Companion to speak to any but his or her Chosen, further proving the immenseness of the issue. so this really must be a big issue if the head stallion and an un Chosen Companion were voicing their opinions to every herald present.

_:Even if he does live, who will care for him? The life of his mother was taken! Unless you would be willing to take him in:_ The head stallion was making it completely clear that none of the Companions particularly wanted that little foal around… Leah felt a huge wave of sympathy pass over her. The poor thing might not ever get to see beyond these walls if the majority of the Companions had their way.

_:As a matter of fact, I would be _more_ than willing to care for the young one. As his aunt, I should be suitable.:_ Melodi had worked the stallion right into her field. There was no reason for them to try and take the foal's life now. Unless they could find physical evidence that something was wrong with the young colt then they were in no right to be rid of him. And Melodi was absolutely right: as his aunt, she would be a perfect caretaker.

And the head stallion knew this. He obviously wasn't happy about it… but he knew when he no longer had an argument in his favor. He reluctantly backed down. Leah suppressed a smile as Melodi snorted in triumph. Leah followed Melodi into a new stall away from poor Serina. The gangly little foal did his best to join them at a bit of a wobbly pace. The Kings Own, Jason, followed soon after.

Leah sighed as she leaned against the wall of the new stall and watched Melodi and her new foal settle down in the comfortable straw. "Well… you've gotten yourself into quite a mess haven't you? What on earth are you going to do with him?"

_:I'm not sure. But I couldn't let them kill him like that. All that was just superstitious talk. There's nothing wrong with him, and I'll take a chunk out of anyone who says there is.:_

The quiet Jason gave a small chuckle at the image that came along with Melodi's thoughts, and Leah also had to smile at how protective Melodi had already become of her 'son'. Instead of making her any more edgy, she decided to ask a bit simpler question. "So, what'll his name be?" Jason seemed to perk up slightly at the question. _Curiosity on the King's side no doubt_, Leah thought to herself privately.

Melodi stared at her for a moment before turning her attention to the stormy sky outside. _: His name will be Shadow.:_ Her mind voice was soft, almost thoughtful. The newly dubbed Shadow had already dozed off. And as Leah gazed at Shadow, she wondered what could be so dangerous about a black Companion. As she and Jason both took up their own thoughts, her mind drifted to what kind of change his birth would bring about to their lives.

As this thought passed through her mind and faded into memory, a bright flash of lighting lit the sky and thunder rang out its vicious cry.

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OK! I'm currently working on Chapter One! Just gotta get it wrapped up and beta-read! Hopefully have it up by the end of this week! 


	2. Shadow

_**Hee Hee! Told you I'd get it up by the end of this week! Whoo! Go me! Anway- Thanks again to SasukeBlade for putting up with my horrid spelling, punctuation, and grammer... you get virtual hugs just for that! - (BE WARNED! This chapter is ridiculously long... 9 pages on Word!) **_

Shadow

Calin Shahita stared blankly at the dull bark of the ninety-fifth tree she had seen in the last five minutes. "Stupid trees. Yeah, that's what you are, stupid. Maybe when I get to Haven I won't have to see anymore trees. I've seen enough in the last hour to last my whole life." 

_:You know Ali, some might consider it a sign of insanity when you start talking to inanimate objects…:_ Ali would have recognized that voice anywhere. It was her horse, and her best friend, Vic. 

_:Your point? There isn't anyone out here to hear me besides you and Tuck. That stupid healer is too far up ahead to hear anything. I could curse his guts right now and he wouldn't know it.:_ A small mental chuckle was his only response.

Ali had possessed the power of Animal Mindspeech since she was a small child. She and Vic had grown up together. Her raven, Tuck, had been a birthday present to her brother from their father that he had promptly refused. They had been the only friends she had really had back home. Her father didn't much care for her at all. He had a son; that was all that really mattered to him. She had once overheard him saying that she was just an unfortunate accident.

Her loony mother never paid her any attention. Ali could have cut her own throat right in front of her and she wouldn't realize it. Her older brother was a pain, always bullying her and getting away with it simply because he was their father's favorite. None of the other children ever played with her. She was an outcast from the start because of her odd habit of talking to animals. That had won her some respect from the stable hands, but that was about it.

Now, because he could not think of a single other thing to do with her, dear old father was sending Ali off to a foreign country to live with strangers that would supposedly teach her how to control her powers and expand them. 

Ali rolled her eyes at the memory of that conversation and quickly tried to set her thoughts on a different path before she depressed herself again. She knew the only reason her father had even considered the idea of sending her off the Valdemar was because her habit of talking to and making friends with animals chased off any and all suitors. It was only thanks to her uncle that they had been able to contact the Heralds at Haven too. Without is previous connections she would have had to spend the rest of her life in a too big mansion in the middle of nowhere with people who all but hated her guts. 

When it was finally decided that she would go to Haven, she had fought long and hard to keep possession of Vic. He had helped out in that conflict by kicking and biting anyone that came near him besides herself. She smirked at the memory of her father's face as they had departed from that mansion, hopefully for the last time. He had lost his best horse to a fifteen-year old girl who talked to animals and was being sent to a land of 'magic workers' to be trained. Oh how his peers would wonder.

For now though, to get her mind off of the past, she took it upon herself to look around at every bush, every tree, and every rock. There were supposed to be heralds waiting for her and the healer, Vince, once they crossed into Valdemar territory. Since she didn't know where exactly that was, she didn't know when to expect company. Vince didn't either of course. Neither of them had ever ventured any farther than the town limits at their old homes. The healer was relying on an outdated map and the advice of a couple of seedy looking merchants from the last village.

She went about this round of occupation for about an hour before she gradually turned more and more of her attention back to Vic as they inched down a rocky hill. He didn't need guidance, but _she_ needed to focus on keeping an eye on the ground and getting ready for his next motion, or to warn him if she saw something that he might have missed. This went by without a hitch, they were so used to working with each other it was almost laughable.

For awhile they again sank into silence; but Vic wasn't really a silent kind of guy… well, horse. _:So, what do you think Valdemar is going to be like:_

Ali gave a response that was the equivalent of shrugging her shoulders in Mindspeech before adding, _:How am I supposed to know:_

_:Just trying to make conversation. Trying to keep you sane. Don't want you talking to those stupid trees again now do we:_ His mind voice was sweet and teasing, and Ali couldn't help but smile.

They carried on about random subjects that popped into their heads for what seemed like hours before Tuck piped in suddenly with some interesting news.

_:Me see white horses with white peoples:_ By now, Ali was used to the odd way that Tuck talked, but it still took a moment for his words to sink in. White horses with white people on their backs? She scanned her memory of what her uncle had told her about Heralds and Companions. 

"_Heralds are Chosen by Companions. Companions _look_ like white horses, but they are much more intelligent. They can run faster than anything you've ever seen. They're almost like humans inside of a horse body. And remember: you can always recognize a herald because they almost always wear white clothing."_

Great. If the Heralds and their Companions were here then that meant that her journey was half-way over. She leaned over Vic's neck as they passed beneath a tree and came to a neatly kept path that lead south-west into yet more trees. Past that Ali's human eyes could not pick out anything unusual. But some other senses that she had developed kicked in. She wondered if it was a side effect of her Animal Mindspeech. 

Whether it was or not wasn't important at the moment. All she knew was that she could sense others out there, not too far down the path that Vince had already started down. _This is going to get interesting._

_:Why do you say that:_ Again, Vic popped in on her thoughts. She didn't mind. Like Tuck's odd speech, she was used to not having too many thoughts to herself.

_:Just…oh, I don't know. Hey, you know what the bright side of this is:_

_:No, as a matter of fact I don't. Would you be so kind as to tell me:_ There was a smile to his thoughts. It seemed to influence Ali's own mood, because she soon found herself smiling as well.

_:I won't have to say too much because Vince is going to do talking enough for five of us, let alone just the two of us.:_ Vic's response was the Mindspeech equivalent of a smile and a chuckle. Ali smiled again too and leaned her head against his neck as they began walking again. Her shortly cropped white hair fell in front of her eyes, making a type of veil to hide her striking, and sometimes intimidating golden eyes. 

As they slowly caught up to Vince, Tuck again piped in with news about the Heralds. _:White horses and peoples come toward you nows.:_ This caught Ali's attention back up from a half dozing state. She sat up straight once again and let her hair fall back into its normal fix.

Just as she got her eyes adjusted to the change in light she made out two white figures moving toward them. Just as Tuck said, there were two Companions and their Heralds astride them. The Companions moved with such grace that Ali immediately felt inferior sitting atop such a bouncy thing as Vic, even though he was the smoothest horse her father had owned. 

It took a moment for the third shape to actually register. Then, even when Ali realized that it was there, just _what_ it was wouldn't click. _:Hey, Vic:_

_:Hmm:_

_:I thought Companions were white. Why is that one standing behind the other two black:_

It took a moment for Vic to answer. Perhaps so that he could take a good look at what Ali was talking about. _:Hmm… are you sure it's a Companion:_

_:Definitely. I can _sense_ it.:_

_:Well, I don't know what to tell you. I only know as much about this subject as you do remember:_

_:Yeah, I guess. Sorry.: _That was right. Vic was a lot smarter than other horses. Mainly because he had grown up talking to Ali and having her tell him everything she had learned that day. 

_:It's all right.:_ Again, his thoughts had a sweet smile to them. And again, Ali couldn't help but give a small smile as well.

She and Vic came to a stop next to Vince and his burly looking mount and waited for the two Heralds and the three Companions to cover the little distance left. The sheer beauty of the Companions almost made Ali breathless. However, beautiful wasn't quite the word for the black Companion that walked just a little bit behind the other two. 

He was striking to say the least, with a pitch black coat with dazzling sapphire eyes that seemed to look right through you. The eyes were not that of a horse though. They were too thoughtful, too knowing. They were warm and had a humorous light to them. Yes, her uncle had been right, Companions were just like humans in horse clothing.

As the three Companions came to a stop a few feet in front of them, Vince gave a small bow over his saddle horn, Ali copying him out of habit. The lessons of manners had been beaten into her since she was a child. They weren't likely to go away anytime soon.

"I take it you are Healer Vince and young Calin, correct?" As Ali lifted her head she saw that it was the woman Herald who had spoken. Her Companion didn't have the warm, light humor that the black one had. The mare's eyes seemed hard, like true sapphires. Hard and cold.

"Yes, we are. May I ask your names my lords?" Vince as well had been trained in the art of manners. And it was clear in the way his voice seemed to shake about the middle of his sentence that he was nervous and trying to make a good impression on the two. 

"I am Herald Leah and this is Herald Miren. Our Companions are Morina and Kaile. And there's no need to be so formal. You can just call us by our names. Being called lords makes us sound so stiff and boring." She made a face as she said the last sentence and Ali could immediately tell that she was going to like Herald Leah.

"Of course," said Vince, bowing his head slightly once again. "So, will you be our escorts to Haven?"

"Yes we will. If you don't mind, would you please ride up front with Miren? I'd like to have a chance to talk to Calin." Leah's eyes locked onto Ali's and she felt her heart begin working double time thanks to an easy nervousness she had developed around her father.

"Of course." Vince seemed a little confused about Leah's choice of riding partner, but said nothing as he urged his mount up again to take the lead with Herald Miren. Once they were both out of earshot, Leah gave Ali a broad smile and gestured that they should start following. 

Morina simply started walking, and Vic followed her example. The still unknown black Companion followed behind Morina off to the side a bit. Before Ali could think of what to say, Vic chimed in with a quick last comment before Ali had to fend for herself. _:Don't worry. She's just a person. All she wants to do is talk. You do remember how to talk don't you? Just relax and take it easy.:_ She gave him a mental scowl but had no time for a longer response because Leah chose that time to make her move on starting a conversation.

"So, your name is Calin right?" She watched Ali from the corner of her eye, still with a broad smile on her face.

"Uh, only my family calls me that. Personally I hate the name and would prefer you call me Ali if you don't mind." She kept her eyes on Vic's ears. More to avoid eye contact with Leah than really trying to pay attention to riding. Vic was smart enough to figure out where to step and where not to step.

"Alright then, Ali it is." There was a smile to her voice. That encouraged Ali to glance at her from under the veil of her hair. She still had a friendly smile and was now giving 

Ali her full attention. "So, let me guess. You have Animal Mindspeech right?"

This caught Ali a little off guard and she perked her head up more that she really intended. "Uh… yeah… how'd you know that?" 

_:Relax. Your stuttering.:_ She pushed Vic out of her mind, trying to focus.

"Oh, just the way you keep going quiet. How your horse acts, little things like that." Leah's smile got wider if that was possible.

"Oh, well, his name is Vic. I wouldn't keep going quiet if he would stop interrupting." She punctuated the point of the sentence by jabbing Vic with her finger in a ticklish spot at the base of his neck. She was answered with an audible snort which translated into a mental chuckle. 

Herald Leah laughed as well and that seemed to ease whatever tension had been looming over Ali. She looked back at Leah with a smile of her own this time. "You know, I think you and I are going to get along just fine Ali." 

Ali didn't really know what to say to this, so she simply smiled and turned her attention to tracking down Tuck. It wasn't hard considering he was right above them. _:Me tired. Me come land on shoulder or saddle now please:_

_:Sure, come on in.:_ A moment later Tuck was settled comfortably on Ali's shoulder, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Another friend of yours I take it?" Ali turned as much as she could without dislodging Tuck to see Leah watching her. 

She smiled at the Herald and answered, "Yeah, he's my pet raven. Not the smartest bird in the world but he's great company."

Leah laughed at the comment and seemed to go thoughtful for a moment, staring at the ground between them. Ali took the moment of freedom to glance ahead. It seemed that this path kept straight on for a good while. Vince and the other Herald, Miren, were far ahead of them now. She felt a wave of sympathy for the man; Vince was no doubt talking his ears off.

The sound of a rock being kicked drew her attention back to the black Companion, whom she had forgotten was even there. He moved so quietly; like a ghost or a shadow. His eyes were on hers almost immediately. She stared back for a moment before feeling another set of eyes staring at her from a different angle.

She turned back to see Leah watching her intently. She glanced back at the black Companion before quickly returning her gaze to Ali. Feeling like a child caught doing something wrong, Ali quickly turned her own gaze away from Leah's. They rode in silence for a long time. It was late afternoon before Ali realized just how far they had traveled.

She glanced around and could see no more forests. Just open fields. A few houses dotted here and there. She took a quick stat of Vic, who claimed he was fine. Vince's burly mount, Tipper, also seemed be feeling at ease. Neither showed signs of being tired. As she checked on Tuck he simply said that he was hungry and that he was going to go get food. After Ali stressed to him not to steal anything he launched off of her shoulder and disappeared.

She saw Leah watching his progress out of the corner of her eye, but made no comment. Leah didn't push for a conversation, so it stayed quiet for awhile longer. 

_:Would one of you please say something? I'm going nuts here.:_ Ali simply rolled her eyes at Vic's thoughts. But then as her mind began to drift again, she found herself thinking of the black Companion. She realized she was more curious than she was supposed to be and she was about to sound extremely nosy, but she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Hey Herald Leah, can I ask you something?"

"Please, Ali, just call me Leah. And of course you can ask me something. Anything you want to know." Her voice and her smile were sincere, so Ali went on with her question, with one last quick glance at the black Companion, who was still watching her intensely.

"Who is that black Companion? I mean, why is he here? I thought Companions stayed with their Chosen."

_:We do silly.:_ That voice was very unfamiliar. Yet at the same time it was warm, comforting, even loving. 

_:What:_ That seemed the only coherent thought she could manage at the moment.

A light chuckle. _:I am with my Chosen you silly girl.:_

It was the black Companion then. That explained a little; not much, but a little. _:All right, but I'm still confused. Who's your Chosen:_

Another warm chuckle. _:Well, since you're still confused, I'm going to try and be perfectly clear, all right? My name is Shadow. And you are my Chosen Ali.:_

_**OK! Working on Chapter Two right now! Not sure when that's gonna be up, but shouldn't be too long!**_


	3. Night

**Ok... sorry for that delay in updating. I was horribly distracted by an obsession with an anime, and also being harassed by a friend of mine who wants me to work on another story to the point she is tackling me in gym! O.O But I managed to sneak this one past her! :P Ok... So you know how "Shadow" was really long? "Night" is really short. Only about 4 pages in Word! **

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Night

Ali lay against Vic that night, staring up at the sky in a bit of a dazed state of mind. She could hear some of the others sleeping nearby. They had been unable to go to an inn due to the fact that they were still out in the middle of nowhere. That didn't really bother her too much. She was used to sleeping outside, considering she had often gone to the stables with Vic in order to escape the constant snoring coming from her brother's room right next door.

She began to think back to earlier that day. She remembered her uncle telling her a few things about Companions and how they Chose Heralds. She now wished that she had paid a bit more attention. When Shadow had made his announcement she had simply fallen into a state of shock.

At the time she had gotten the feeling that Shadow would have had the biggest grin on his face had he been human. Leah, who had apparently been in on the Choosing from the beginning, had simply smiled broadly and rode a little ahead to give Shadow room to come and walk alongside Vic.

It had been Vic who snapped Ali out of her semi-shock. _:You know most would expect you to have some kind of emotion on your face right about now.:_

She seemed to snap out of it a little and when she finally grasped what he had said she turned to Shadow who had been watching her with a strange new light to his eyes. She had seen it somewhere before, but it was only now, in the dead of night that she could finally understand what that light was.

Thinking of Shadow, she glanced over at him a few yards away. This late at night he could only be made out as a dark hulk against the surrounding black. He seemed to be even blacker than the night itself.

She was startled when his blue eyes opened calmly and watched her silently. She had meant to turn away, but she was locked in by the depth of his eyes. She had the sensation of falling into a pool of cool water, only without the shock of cold. It seemed to wrap around her, keeping her floating and caressing her with a warm emotion that she almost didn't recognize.

_:Are you alright Ali?:_ That was Shadow's voice. It rang in her head even after the thought was finished. It sounded like the echo of a long ago bell chime.

_:Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking. A little in shock I guess.:_ she replied after a moment of awe at the warmth that had come along with his previous thought.

_:I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shock you. To be honest, I wasn't really sure how to break the news to you. Leah and Aunt Melodi kept pushing me, telling me that I needed to hurry. You just offered an opportunity and I took it.:_

_:Yeah. I guess I just wasn't expecting that. I mean, something felt different; I guess you could say since we joined up with you. I just couldn't put my finger on what the feeling was.:_ Ali closed her eyes contentedly. Vic snored gently next to her, and she couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lips.

Shadow's thoughts turned to a small chuckle, and then he too seemed to doze off into sleep. Ali smiled once again, this time at Shadow, and began to drift off into the paradise of a dreamless sleep. As her consciousness fell away into darkness, she heard what could have been her imagination, but the warmth, the love, that came along with it evaporated that theory.

_:Ali, I'll always love you no matter what, and there's nothing you can do about it.:_ Not being entirely familiar with the warmth, the feeling, or even the word 'love', it took Ali a moment to process the thought. How could such a simple sentence mean so much and more? Well, Vic always told her not to think about things so much. So pushing that question aside for later speculation, she smiled warmly at Shadow, and even though he couldn't have seen it in the darkness, she knew he had felt it, and said something she thought she would never say to anyone or anything other than Vic or Tuck.

_:I love you too, Shadow.:_

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**Told ya it was short. Currently working on Chapter Three! I PROMISE I WILL HAVE IT UP AS SOON AS IT IS READY!! (Notice I don't give a time/date... shifty eyes)**


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